Garment Hanger

ABSTRACT

The garment hanger includes an arched main support having a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging arms for supporting a coat or the like and a horizontally extending support bar for supporting a pair of trousers or the like. The support bar includes a centrally located, upwardly extending arcuate section over which a portion of the trousers are foldably suspended. A resilient clamping member, integrally connected at one end to an arm, clamps the trousers against the arcuate section to retain them in place on the support bar. A slot located in the support bar or between the lower end of one of the arms and the support bar serves as an entrance passage through which the trousers can be slipped edgewise over the support bar. The clamping member can be lifted to a raised position by a hand grip located thereon for palcement of the trousers on the support bar. Preferably, the arms, support bar, clamping member and hand grip are molded as a unitary assembly from a plastic material.

United States Patent Lemmenes 1 Aug. 5, 1975 1 GARMENT HANGER 1,517,025 2/1968 France 223/91 M. L 616 h [76] Inventor gfj a i ag gg COC rane Primary ExammerGeorge H. Krizmamch [22] Filed: June 10, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT Appl. No.: 477,966

[52] US. Cl. 223/91; 223/96 [51] Int. Cl. A47J 51/14 [58] Field of Search 223/91, 93, 96, 88, 95; 211/113 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,085 4/1918 Omohundro 223/91 2,150,869 3/1939 Shafarman.... 223/88 2,347,949 5/1944 Hoffman 223/91 2,478,297 8/1949 McGirr..... 223/91 2,547,561 4/1951 Brooke 223/91 2,681,775 6/1954 McLean.... 223/91 2,775,378 12/1956 McLean..... 223/91 3,435,999 4/1969 Mantel] 223/91 3,692,216 9/1972 Becca 223/91 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 222,762 11/1942 Switzerland 223/91 614,496 12/1948 United Kingdom 223/88 The garment hanger includes an arched main support having a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging arms for supporting a coat or the like and a horizontally extending support bar for supporting a pair of 1 trousers or the like. The support bar includes a centrally located, upwardly extending arcuate section over which a portion of the trousers are foldably suspended. A resilient clamping member, integrally connected at one end to an arm, clamps the trousers against the arcuate section to retain them in place on the support bar. A slot located in the support bar or between the lower end of one of the arms and the sup port bar serves as an entrance passage through which the trousers can be slipped edgewise over the support bar. The clamping member can be lifted to a raised position by a hand grip located thereon for palcement of the trousers on the support bar. Preferably, the arms, support bar, clamping member and hand grip are molded as a unitary assembly from a plastic material.

12 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 GARMENT HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a garment hanger and, more particularly, to garment hangers including means for positively retaining a garment, such as a pair of trousers or the like, on a horizontal support bar.

Garment hangers including a cross rod or a support bar for supporting folded garments, such as a pair of trousers or the like, are well known. In order to prevent the garment from slipping off the support bar during storage or transportation, various constructions have been proposed including means for positively restraining the garment in place on the support bar. Some of these proposed constructions were difficult to operate with one hand while placing the trousers on the support bar, others required the use of several components which are relatively expensive to fabricate and/or assemble, and other did not adequately prevent the garment from slipping longitudinally on the support bar and becoming bunched or creased.

Prior art instructions are exemplified in the following US. Pat. Nos. 3,692,216 (Becca), issued Sept. 19, 1972; 3,459,349 (Batts), issued Aug. 5, 1969; 3,054,539 (Deutsch et al.), issued Sept. 18, 1962; 2,998,173 (Lutz), issued Aug. 29, 1961; 2,886,224 (Bourne), issued May 12, 1959; 3,775,378 (McLean), issued Dec. 25, 1956; 2,681,755 (McLean), issued June 22, 1954; 2,478,297 (McGirr), issued Aug. 9, 1949; and 1,206,348 (MacPherson), issued Nov. 28, 1916.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger which is of simple construction and can be inexpensively fabricated.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a garment hanger including means for positively retaining a folded garment in place on a horizontal support bar which means can be conveniently operated, by the same hand holding the hanger, to permit placement of the garment over the support bar without interference.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a garment hanger which can be formed as a one-piece assembly from a plastic material.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reviewing the following detailed description, the drawings and the appended claims.

The garment hanger provided by the invention includes a means support having a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging arms for supporting a coat or the like, an elongated support bar extending generally horizontally from the lower end portion of one of the arms for foldably suspending a garment, such as a pair of trousers, and a resilient, generally horizontally extending support bar located above the support bar for retaining the garment in place on the support bar. The support bar includes an upwardly extending arcuate section, preferably centrally located between the arms. The clamping member has at least one end integrally connected to one of the arms and a portion which is movable vertically relative to the support bar between a raised position where the garment can be slipped over the arcuate section without interference and a normal position where the clamping member clamps the gar ment against the arcuate section. A slot provided either in the support bar or between one end of the support bar and the lower end portion of one of the arms serves as an entrance passage through which the folded garment can be slipped edgewise onto the support bar.

A hand grip can be provided on the clamping member for facilitating convenient lifting of the clamping member with the same hand grasping one of the arms. In order to minimize fabrication costs, the arms, the support bar the clamping member, and the hand grip, if used, preferably are molded from a plastic material as a one-piece assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a garment hanger constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a garment hanger constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a garment hanger constructed in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of a still further embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS While the garment hanger provided by the invention can be conveniently constructed from various materials, it is preferably molded from a plastic material. As will be evident from the following detailed description of various preferred embodiments, the major components of the garment hanger can be molded as a unitary or onepiece assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1, the garment hanger 10 has an arched main support 12 including a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging arms 14 and 16 for supporting a coat or the like (not shown). Provided on the upper part of the main support 12 for suspending the garment hanger 10 on a closet rod or the like is a suspension hook 18 which can be either a separate part suitable fastened to the main support 12 or molded in an integral part of the main support.

A garment 20, such a pair of trousers, a skirt or the like, is foldably suspended from an elongated, horizontally extending support bar 24 connected to the lower end portion of at least one of the arms. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the support bar 24 is composed of two parts 26 and 28 which are longitudinally separated by an opening or spacing 30 which serves as an entrance passage through which the garment 20 may be slipped edgewise over the supporg bar 24. The

longer part 26 extends from the lower end portion 32 of the arm 14 and includes an upwardly extending arcuate section 34. The arcuate section 34 preferably is substantially centrally located between the arms 14 and 16 and has a generally convex shape in the plane of the hanger. The shorter part extends from the lower end portion 34 of the arm 16.

After one edge portion of the garment 20 has been guided into place over the longer portion 26, the other edge portion is guided into place over the shorter part 28. In order to minimize wrinkling of the folded garment 20, the top surfaces of the parts 26 and 28, in-

cluding the top surface of the arcuate section 34,- preferably are rounded.

Located above the support bar 24 for positively retaining the garment in place on the hanger is a resilient clamping member 36 which, at its oppositeends, is integrallyconnected to respective of the arms 14 and 16. The central portion 38 of clamping member 36 is normally located in resilientcontact with or closely adjacent to the upper surface of the arcuate section 34 and can be lifted upwardly relative to the arcuate section to a raised position where the garment 20 can be slipped edgewise over the arcuate section 34 and guided into place along the top surface of the parts 26 and 28. Extending upwardly from the central portion 38 of theclamping member 36 for affording convenient lifting of the clamping member is a hand grip 40 which can be reached with one or more fingers of the hand grasping the upper portion of one of the arms as shown. After the clamping member 36 is released, the garment 20 is clampingly held against the upper surface of the' arcuate section 34 by the resilient pressure of the clamping member 36. When the hanger is molded from a plasticmaterial, the central portion 38 of the clamping member 36 can be joined together with the arcuate section 34 during molding and subsequently separated by a cutting operation or the like so long as the spacing therebetween is close enough to enable the clamping member to exert a clamping effect on the garment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer free end 42 of the longer part 26 can be provided with an upwardly curved surface 44 which smoothly merges with the arcuate section 34 to facilitate passage of the garment through the spacing 30 and over the arcuate section 34. Similarly, the outer free end 46 of the shorter part 28 can be provided with an upwardly inclined surfac e 4 6 which is generally parallel to the surface 44. Also, the outer end extremity of the shorter part 28 preferably is rounded so as to preventsnagging of the garment when it is guided into place over the shorter part 28. In order to maximize the longitudinal support provided by the support bar 24, the longitudinal dimension of the spacing 30, while large enough to permit easy entrance of the garment, is kept to a minimum.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.'2, the hanger is constructed in the same manner as the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 except for the specific construction of the support bar. Accordingly, common components in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated with common reference numerals.

Shown in FIG. 2, the support bar 50 extends integrally from the lower end portion 32 of the arm 14 and has an outer free end 52 which is spaced from the lower end portion 34 of the arm 16 to provide an entrance passage 54 for the garment. With this arrangement, the folded garment is guided edgewise through the passage 54 and, after the clamping member 36 has been lifted, is guided into place over the support bar 50. Otherwise, the hanger operates and is used in the same manner as described above.

In the'embodime'ntillustrated in FIGS.'3 and 4, the

4 poste end 64 of the clamping member 62 is unconnected and is slidably received in an open-ended slot 66 provided 'in the lower end portion 34 of the arm 16. This arrangement is particularly advantageous for molding the arms 14 and 16, the support bar 50, the

clamping member 62 and the hand grip 38 as a unitary or one-piece assembly. As shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 4, the mold may be designed so that the clamping member 62 is formed with a free outer end 64 extending at a small angle to its assembled lateral position. Thus, the central portion 38 of the clamping member 62 is spaced laterally from the upper surface of the arcuate section 34, permitting it to be formed with a slightly downward tilt with respect tothe arcuate section 34. After molding the free end 64 of the clamping member 62 is flexed upwardly and laterally and guided 5, the outer free end of the clamping member 62 can be provided with a-forked-section 68 which slidably fits over the outer faces 70 of the lower end portion 34 of the arm 16.

I claim:

1. A garment hanger comprising a main support including a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging arms, each having a lower end portion;

an elongated, stationary support bar extending generally horizontally from the lower end portion of one of said arms and having an upper surface over which a pair of trousers or the like can be foldably suspended and which includes a central located,

- upwardly convex section having an uppermost surface;

a slot associated with said support bar for providing an entrance passage through which the folded trousers or the like can he slipped edgewise onto said support bar; and

a resilient, generally horizontally extending clamping member located above said support bar and having at least one end fixedly and integrallyv connected to the lower end portion of one of said arms, the resilient character of said clamping member permitting a central portion thereof to be moved vertically relative to said support bar to a raised position where said clamping member is spaced from said convex section to permit the folded trousers or the like to be slipped over said support bar without interfere'nce and to return to a normal position where said clamping member central portion clamps the trousers or the like against the uppermostsurface said convex section. .1

2. A. garment hanger according to claim 1 including ahand grip-on said clamping member for facilitating movement of said clamping member to the raised position -with= the same hand used to hold said'hanger by grasping one'of said arms.

A garment hanger according to claim 2 wherein saidarms, said'support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded'from a plastic material.

4. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded as a one-piece unit and the opposite ends of said clamping member are integrally connected with respective of said arms.

5. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded as a one-piece unit. said clamping member having one free end and one of said arms including a slot slidably receiving said free end of said clamping member.

6. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded as a one-piece assembly, said clamping member having a free end including a forked portion which slidably fits over the lower end portion of one of said arms.

7. A garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein said support bar is composed of two horizontally extending parts which are longitudinally separated by said slot and are of different lengths, the longer of said parts being connected to the lower end portion of one of said arms and including said convex section and the shorter of said parts being connected to the lower end portion of the other of said arms and extending toward said longer part.

8. A garment hanger according to claim 7 wherein each of said parts include free inner end portions which are spaced to define said slot, the inner end portion of said longer part having an upwardly inclined surface which merges with said arcuate section to facilitate movement of the folded trousers or the like through said slot and over said arcuate section.

9. A garment hanger according to claim 8 wherein the inner end portion of said shorter part is smoothly inclined upwardly to prevent snagging of the folded trousers or the like while being slipped through said slot.

10. A garment hanger according to claim I wherein said support bar includes a free end which extends toward the lower end of the other of said arms but is spaced therefrom to define said slot.

11. A garment hanger according to claim 7 including a hand grip on said clamping member for facilitating movement of said clamping member to the raised position with the same hand used to hold said hanger by grasping one of said arms.

12. A garment hanger according to claim 11 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded from a plastic material as a one-piece unit. 

1. A garment hanger comprising a main support including a pair of downwardly and outwardly diverging arms, each having a lower end portion; an elongated, stationary support bar extending generally horizontally from the lower end portion of one of said arms and having an upper surface over which a pair of trousers or the like can be foldably suspended and which includes a central located, upwardly convex section having an uppermost surface; a slot associated with said support bar for providing an entrance passage through which the folded trousers or the like can be slipped edgewise onto said support bar; and a resilient, generally horizontally extending clamping member located above said support bar and having at least one end fixedly and integrally connected to the lower end portion of one of said arms, the resilient character of said clamping member permitting a central portion thereof to be moved vertically relative to said support bar to a raised position where said clamping member is spaced from said convex section to permit the folded trousers or the like to be slipped over said support bar without interference and to return to a normal position where said clamping member central portion clamps the trousers or the like against the uppermost surface said convex section.
 2. A garment hanger according to claim 1 including a hand grip on said clamping member for facilitating movement of said clamping member to the raised position with the same hand used to hold said hanger by grasping one of said arms.
 3. A garment hanger according to claim 2 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded from a plastic material.
 4. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded as a one-piece unit and the opposite ends of said clamping member are integrally connected with respective of said arms.
 5. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded as a one-piece unit, said clamping member having one free end and one of said arms including a slot slidably receiving said free end of said clamping member.
 6. A garment hanger according to claim 3 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded as a one-piece assembly, said clamping member having a free end including a forked portion which slidably fits over the lower end portion of one of said arms.
 7. A garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein said support bar is composed of two horizontally extending parts which are longitudinally separated by said slot and are of different lengths, the longer of said parts being connected to the lower end portion of one of said arms and including said convex section and the shorter of said parts being connected to the lower end portion of the other of said arms and extending toward said longer part.
 8. A garMent hanger according to claim 7 wherein each of said parts include free inner end portions which are spaced to define said slot, the inner end portion of said longer part having an upwardly inclined surface which merges with said arcuate section to facilitate movement of the folded trousers or the like through said slot and over said arcuate section.
 9. A garment hanger according to claim 8 wherein the inner end portion of said shorter part is smoothly inclined upwardly to prevent snagging of the folded trousers or the like while being slipped through said slot.
 10. A garment hanger according to claim 1 wherein said support bar includes a free end which extends toward the lower end of the other of said arms but is spaced therefrom to define said slot.
 11. A garment hanger according to claim 7 including a hand grip on said clamping member for facilitating movement of said clamping member to the raised position with the same hand used to hold said hanger by grasping one of said arms.
 12. A garment hanger according to claim 11 wherein said arms, said support bar, said clamping member and said hand grip are molded from a plastic material as a one-piece unit. 